Sept. 22 (UPI) — The high court in Sri Lanka convicted 15 men for plotting the April 21, 2019, Easter Sunday suicide bomb attacks that killed 279 in churches and hotels.

Among those convicted in the attack was Naufer Moulavi, whom prosecutors said masterminded the suicide bombings. Nine men were acquitted.

The presiding judge of the three-judge panel said the sentencing would happen later Tuesday.

During the trial, more than 2,300 people testified for the prosecution, and there were 2,076 pieces of evidence, including explosives, swords and firearms, Al Jazeera reported.

The attacks injured more than 500. Five Americans were killed and more injured in the attack. One American official, Chelsea Decaminada, an international program specialist with the U.S. Department of Commerce, died weeks later of her injuries. She was in Sri Lanka on assignment.

Three churches and three hotels were bombed. There were 45 foreigners killed. All those who carried out the bombings were killed in the explosions. The 25 men indicted were part of the country’s Muslim minority. One of them died while in custody. They had been charged with more than 23,000 charges in total.

Most of the people killed were Sri Lankans, and many of them were children. The dead included celebrity chef Shantha Mayadunne and her daughter, at least eight staff from the hotels and five members of the same family from Negombo, Sri Lanka.

Among the foreigners killed were five Americans, 11 Indians and eight Brits. There were also people who died from Australia, Bangladesh, China, Denmark, Japan, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey.

Danish billionaire Anders Holch Povlsen lost three children in the bombing of the Shangri-La hotel while the family were on vacation there.

The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka found former President Maithripala Sirisena responsible for national security failures and ordered him to pay $273,300 from his personal accounts in compensation to the victims.

Former Police Chief Pujith Jayasundara and former Defence Ministry Secretary Hemasiri Fernando were sentenced to death for criminal negligence for the bombings. They were both ordered to pay compensation to the families. Death sentences are usually commuted to life sentences there because there’s a moratorium on executions.

There is a separate investigation into former intelligence chief Suresh Sally. He is accused of orchestrating the bombings with Islamic extremists for political gain. He has denied the allegation.